Bishop Briggs: "I'm just speaking my truth, whatever that may be"

Sarah McLaughlin puts soul and spirit into powerful pop wonder.

Published: 2:57 pm, November 03, 2016

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Cutting delicate heartsink with a horizon-grabbing delivery and backed by a rabbit warren of twisting musical theatre, Bishop Briggs puts soul and spirit into powerful pop wonder. Born in London to a couple from Bishopbriggs (see what she did there?) in Scotland before moving to Tokyo, then Hong Kong and currently residing in Los Angeles (though she’s also spending a lot of time in New York), Sarah McLaughlin has spent most of her life on the move.

Since the release of ‘Wild Horses’ in 2015 that ever-changing backdrop has been rushing past even faster. Even today she’s on a flight from London heading back to Los Angeles - but despite the acceleration, she’s making sure to capture every moment.

Hey, how are things today?Things are awesome, Thank you for asking!

Tour going well? It’s a pretty long stretch on the road.My favourite part about all of this is performing so the longer the tour the better for me.

You’ve lived all over the world, has that constant travelling affected the music you make?It's all I've ever known so I can't really know how it's affected me, but I can say I am thankful to have grown up in cities that have a distinct energy to them that can only enhance your creativity.

You’re five brilliant songs in, all very confident and assured. Do you think you’ve found your “sound”?Thank you so much. I think your "sound" is really up to interpretation of the audience and yourself. I am really enjoying creating right now and I think because these have all been written in this past year, it's created a continuity within the music.

The vocals are very powerful but they’re backed by a striking musicality. Is it important that all your songs have that depth?I hope that there is depth to my music but ultimately I am just speaking my truth, whatever that may be at the time.

What do you draw from to inspire the lyrics?Everything! Even some of the questions you've asked have reminded me of a lyric I wanted to jot down earlier! Your life is constantly evolving and moving so I think the same should go with seeking inspiration.

You recently released ‘Pray (Empty Gun)’, what inspired that?I realised I could go two ways with a situation I had been presented with. I could be negative or I could take the higher road. I decided to make this song my outlet instead of any other scenario.

What do you want people to take from your music?In an ideal world, people would hear the music and be inspired to write their own music and tell their own stories.

How have things changed since the release of ‘River’?It all began in this little studio where I met Mark Jackson and Ian Brendon Scott. Although we are on the road, we are still writing everyday and when we are back in LA, we are back in those four walls. I think your mentality has to always stay in the place where you created and no one knew about it. My favourite part about the release of River is the amazing people that have come along on this journey with me and shown their support.

Were you expecting the reaction you got?Never.

And did that ramp up the pressure when it came to releasing new material?I put a lot of pressure on myself and it wasn't to necessarily release new material as much as it was to create it and put into our set! That's the fun part!

Everything you’ve released so far has been really distinctive, where do you take it from here?All I can do is keep writing and be authentic.

You seem like someone who won’t just tie together a group of songs and release them as a record, they’ll be an art or a vision behind it. Have you started thinking debut album yet?Yes. I think albums should be a combination of art, vision and sweat! It's the final paper you have to hand in after you've put in the work. It's my goal to create an album that I am proud of and I can't wait for everyone to hear the music!

What’s next for Bishop Briggs?Next I'm going on tour with Kaleo and I will be releasing new music very soon!

What’s exciting you at the moment?Snapchat. Every day I try to put thought into what I want to share or reveal. Sometimes I drop hints about new music or simply show life on the road. Either way, I'm hooked and constantly thinking up new ideas on how to be creative on there!

And lastly, any important information people absolutely need to know about you?Perhaps, simply put, how thankful and grateful I am for all of this.

Taken from the October issue of Dork, out now - order your copy here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link="